Though he has been trapped in the twenty-first century for several weeks, Lucius is still amazed at the wondrous innovations of the flat-faces people, and meeting Satsuki has given him an even greater understanding of the things he has seen-not to mention an undeniable flutter in his heart. But despite his curiosity for this land, Lucius worries at the amount of time that has passed since he left Rome. The political atmosphere was already tense after the death of the emperor's heir, and Lucius fears what may befall Rome and the ailing Hadrian in his absence. Yet matters are no less precarious in the hot-springs town of Ito. With aggressive developers bullying the established inns, Lucius may be called upon to save the sacred appreciation for the bath both in the past and in the present!
